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Glossary entry

Portuguese term or phrase:

desconfiado / pé atrás

English translation:

He\'s very distrustful (of everything)./He never trusts anybody. He\'s always on his guard.

Added to glossary by Mariana Attie
Jul 21, 2014 11:44
10 yrs ago
7 viewers *
Portuguese term

desconfiado / pé atrás

Portuguese to English Other Business/Commerce (general)
Olá!

Como vocês traduziriam a frase: "ele é um cara desconfiado, está sempre com um pé atrás"
Proposed translations (English)
4 +4 He's very distrustful (of everything)./He never trusts anybody. He's always on his guard.
4 +1 suspicious..holding back
5 distrustful / skeptical or suspicious to a fault
4 suspicious / (on the) back foot
4 wary / smells a rat
3 suspicious / he is afraid he may smell a rat

Discussion

VERLOW WOGLO JR Jul 21, 2014:
Wary for "pé atrás" Dasher's suggestion of "wary" is also quite nice because it is the closest to "pé atras" as it means: cuidadoso, cauteloso, circunspecto, prudente. You can be forever wary, but to suspect foul play all the time (smell a rat) would make one abnormal.
VERLOW WOGLO JR Jul 21, 2014:
Suggested translation. I would suggest: He is quite distrustful and choosy when it comes to trusting people.
VERLOW WOGLO JR Jul 21, 2014:
Pé atras = Hesitant in depositing one´s trust People can simply be suspicious or distrustful in their nature - cautious. I wouldn't say that someone is holding back. To hold back is to refrain from using one's full capacity or potential , or hide your true intentions. . You can smell a rat - be suspicious of foul play, sure, but I believe the subject in question is just simply a distrustful, skeptical person, and hesitant (pé atrás) in depositing his trust. In general not because he smells a rat (suspect foul play), but because he lacks faith in what people say and what they can deliver.
Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira Jul 21, 2014:
Tradicionalmente traduzido assim por quem?
Mario Freitas Jul 21, 2014:
Com o pé atrás, habitualmente traduzido como "smelling a rat" ou "to smell a rat", neste caso pode ser "always hesitating".

Proposed translations

+4
12 mins
Selected

He's very distrustful (of everything)./He never trusts anybody. He's always on his guard.

.
Peer comment(s):
agree Paul Brown
2 mins
agree Lumen (X)
18 mins
agree Verginia Ophof
20 mins
agree Paulinho Fonseca
28 mins
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "thanks!"
+1
10 mins

suspicious..holding back

"ele é um cara desconfiado, está sempre com um pé atrás" =>
"He is a suspicious guy, he is always holding back"
Peer comment(s):
agree Mario Freitas : or hesitating
3 hrs
agradeço
Something went wrong...
18 mins

suspicious / he is afraid he may smell a rat

www.thefreedictionary.com/suspicious
Definition of suspicious in the Online Dictionary. Meaning of suspicious. Pronunciation of suspicious. Translations of suspicious. suspicious synonyms, ...
‎Suspiciously - ‎Suspicious - ‎Unsuspicious - ‎Encyclopedia

www.collinsdictionary.com › English Dictionary
But even people who are enjoying their discounted power may smell a rat ... Knowing that you are my husband they may smell a rat , if you'll pardon the phrase.
Peer comment(s):
neutral airmailrpl : I wonder what a rat smells like??..My friends had pet rats and the animals didn't smell bad - but the cages were another story
2 hrs
try one and you will know...lol
Something went wrong...
15 mins

suspicious / (on the) back foot

A tradução da frase toda: "he's a suspicious guy, he's always on the back foot"

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Note added at 22 mins (2014-07-21 12:07:03 GMT)
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A expressão "estar com um pé atrás" é uma expressão idiomática, cujo equivalente em EN julgo que é "to be on the back foot".
Vd. tb estes links:
1. http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=614434
2. http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/on-the-b...
3. http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-cobuild/on the back fo...
Reference:

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/on-the-back-foot?q=back+foot

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/on_the_back_foot

Something went wrong...
1 hr

wary / smells a rat

"pé-atrás" é um regionalismo brasileiro, quer dizer que o "cara" é desconfiado. Portanto, a tradução do texto também exige um "idiom" para a sua correta tradução.

Deste modo, uma tradução possível para "ele é um cara desconfiado, está sempre com um pé-atrás" seria: "he's a wary guy, he’s always smelling a rat around".
Peer comment(s):
neutral Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira : Não, o substantivo pé-atrás veio da expressão com o pé atrás, não registrada em nenhum lugar como brasileirismo. E smell a rat não é uma linguagem, é uma expressão idiomática. De qualquer forma, nada disto é relevante.
14 mins
Bem observado, Luciano "... com um pé atrás", sem hífen. Entretanto, a referida locução continua sendo um brasileirismo, derivada do subst. “pé-atrás”, assim como "smell a rat" é uma linguagem, um “idiom” dos americanos, pelo que fica mantida a tradução.
neutral airmailrpl : I wonder what a rat smells like??
35 mins
Something went wrong...
1 hr

distrustful / skeptical or suspicious to a fault

suggestion

"to a fault"
So much that it is almost bad. He is suspicious of people to a fault and will not say anything unless it is absolute necessary.


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Note added at 4 horas (2014-07-21 15:47:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I would suggest: He is quite distrustful and choosy when it comes to trusting people.
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